Togo’s Pro-SADI project has directly supported about 12,600 small producers in the Kara and Savanes regions since 2024, expanding access to farm inputs and equipment in areas where agriculture is critical to food security and household resilience.
In the Savanes region alone, 11,300 rice and corn farmers and 1,300 vegetable growers benefited from the project. The results were presented last week in Dapaong at a workshop to review the achievements of the initiative as it comes to an end.
The workshop was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It brought together about 40 participants, including rice, corn and vegetable producers, displaced beneficiaries and host families, as well as technical services and NGOs.
The project helped rice and corn farmers gain access to fertilizer and certified seeds. Vegetable growers received equipment, motor pumps and about 27 wells. These resources helped farmers expand off-season production and diversify their livelihoods.
According to Djiwa Oyétoundé, assistant to the FAO representative in Togo, Pro-SADI was designed as a response to difficulties in accessing agricultural inputs that emerged notably after the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Backed by the European Union (EU), the project targets small producers, including those operating in Togo’s Planned Agricultural Development Zones (ZAAP).
Sustaining the Project’s Gains
The initiative operates in a region where agriculture plays an important role in strengthening the resilience of displaced households and host communities. According to Kégbéro Latifou Seigneur, secretary-general of the Savanes regional government, the support helped women, young people and displaced people gain access to quality seeds and contributed to local supplies for school cafeterias.
With Pro-SADI coming to an end, the focus now shifts to preserving its gains, particularly access to agricultural inputs and vegetable-growing equipment, as well as the farming practices introduced through the project. Participants at the Dapaong workshop said these priorities should be incorporated into future agricultural initiatives in the Savanes region.